Bryan is not only dealing with Orton, he’s dealing with Vince, Vince’s daughter (Stephanie) and Vince’s son-in-law (Triple H).

It makes him a major underdog.

Back to Cena, though.

There’s no major rush to get him back to action.

If you do the simple math, he should be able to return for the Royal Rumble.

Is that necessary? No.

Will it happen? Very likely.

It’ll be interesting to see who Cena faces upon his return.

There are only a handful of wrestlers Cena will be facing around Royal Rumble/WrestleMania time, so let the speculation begin.

Let’s review Raw:

Cena puts over Bryan. REACT: Classy.

Bryan and Stephanie chat. REACT: Stephanie was superb here, calling Bryan’s quick loss something that was “best for the business.” I liked Bryan daring Stephanie to fire him. I also liked Stephanie staying so calm, and her A/B+ comment was hilarious. Also smart to re-emphasize Bryan’s small stature (5-foot-9, less than 200 pounds).

Cody Rhodes beats Damien Sandow. REACT: Good to see WWE is pushing Rhodes as having Sandow’s number. I didn’t care much for a PPV rematch, though. Rhodes’ moonsault was the match highlight. Interesting that JBL has been giving pointers to Sandow. Also interesting that JBL said Rhodes could make his family the first father/son world championship team. I didn’t know that.

The Funkadaktyls beat AJ Lee/Layla. REACT: Once the Divas show ends, the new pushes will cease. Match wasn’t that great, and the rollup pin was completely botched.

The Shield beat Ziggler. REACT: Solid beatdown. Ziggler’s suplex of one of The Shield members onto the floor was scary-looking. Strong spear finish.

Alberto Del Rio beats Sin Cara. REACT: Sin Cara reportedly brorke fingers in his hand in a move. Poor Sin Cara. He hasn’t been featured much on TV, and now this. It was difficult to figure out if Sin Cara’s injury was legit, but apparently it was. I liked Del Rio’s “no heroes” promo.

Ricardo Rodriguez introduces his new wrestler, Rob Van Dam, who goes after Del Rio. REACT: Who would ever think Rodriguez and RVD would team up? Not me. Great segment.

The Prime Time Players beat Jack Swagger/Antonio Cesaro. REACT: The hop and stomp moved from The PTPs was superb. Nice to see Darren Young get the pin with a gutcheck move.

Big Show punished for Triple H comments. REACT: Wise.

Footlocker promo. REACT: Horrible.

Ryback bully segment. REACT: Make it end. Please! Turning on shower water to fill up a duffel bag? Really?

The Shield beat Big Show. REACT: What was it with two of the three members of The Shield teasing leg injuries? Were they legit? Very good match, surprisingly.

CM Punk promo. REACT: I assume Punk going off on the front-row fan was planned. Strange, though, either way.

Punk vs. Curtis Axel is pushed. REACT: Great to see Axel’s push resume. He needed this. Funny Axel held out his belt on the way to the ring to give to Paul Heyman and Heyman was nowhere near him. Great brawl, with use of the chair on Punk’s leg and a tease for a broken leg.

Bray Wyatt beats R-Truth. REACT: Not sure if this “new face of fear” angle is going to work. However, Wyatt was 10 times better here than he was at the PPV.

Los Matadores are coming. REACT: The tag-team division is off the charts, this time with the repackaging of Primo and Epico.

The Miz vs. Wade Barrett is a no-contest. REACT: Nice match pace. Good to see a Fandango-The Miz push.

JBL, to Jerry Lawler, said, “I’m trying to put you over and you are correcting me.” REACT: Awesome.

The Shield acts at HHH’s security from Bryan. REACT: HHH rambled on way too long here. I liked Orton hugging Stephanie to make us think their past storylines are forgiven. I liked The Shield and Orton holding Bryan off and beating him down. Bryan’s major underdog status continues, and this is smart. Also, I liked all the wrestlers/Divas out on stage but being told to stay there or face punishment. Some ask why The Big Show didn’t help though — you know, with his iron-clad contract and all.

ANALYSIS: The tag-team division is getting a big push. I doubt that continues, but it’s nice. The main-event picture is delivering, but the rest of this show was pretty average. GRADE: C+

LATEST HEADLINES AND MY REACTS

WWE not happy with Ric Flair. REACT: I don’t see an Evolution reunion taking place.

Mick Foley said he will never wrestle again. REACT: Sadly, probably true.